Traction producing means



NOV. 19, 1940. v CHAPMAN 2,221,777

TRACTION PRODUCING MEANS Filed Dec. 24; 1937 s Sheets-Sheet 1 CW ZQSI W Nov. 19, 1940. c. F. CHAPMAN TRACT ION PRODUC ING MEAN 3 Filed Dec. 24, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 NOV. 19, 1940. I c; M N 2,221,777

TRACTION PRODUCING MEANS Filed Dec, 24, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 45 end.

Patented Nov. 19, 1940 UNlTED STATES 2,221,777 TBACTION PRODUCIN G MEANS Charles F.'Chapman, Chicago, Ill.

Application December 24, 1937, Serial No. 101,629

This invention relates to imprpvements in trac tlon producing means and more particularly to means of the character indicated for employment on automobiles, both passenger carsand trucks.

The invention is also more specifically concerned with means of the character indicated whereby sand or other granular material is deposited in the path of travel of the vehicle.

The main objects of the invention are to prol0 vide traction producing means which may be mounted within the rear portion or storage compartment of a vehicle so as to be protected from the weather and hidden from sight; to provide means of the character indicated whereby the sand or other. material to be deposited maybe effectively propelled forwardly and deposited in front of the driving wheels of the vehicle; to provide eflicient and effective means for controlling the flow of the sand or other material to the discharging device; to provide means which will expel the sand or other material with substantial force and which is of simple and durable construction, and eflicient and eflective in operation. Further objects of the invention are to 26 provide means for preventing the accumulation of sand in the discharge conduit of the device; to provide means whereby the operation of the device may be effected with great facility so as to r interfere as little as possible with the drivers '30 attention to tramc conditions; to provide a sig-..

nal means for informing the driver that the sup.- ply ofssand for the device is low and should be replenished; and, in general, it is the object of the invention to provide an improved device of the character indicated.

This application is, in part, a continuation of my co-pending application Serial No. 100,120, filed September 10, 1936.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will beunderstood by reference to the following specification and accompanying drawings (three sheets) wherein there is disclosed adevice embodying a selected form of the invention, incor-.

porated in a vehicle having a trunk onhts rear In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation. g Figure 2 is a rear elevation, certain parts be ing broken away to reveal other elements. v 0 Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of. Figure 2. Figures 4, 5, 6 and '7 are sections respectively on the lines 4-4, 5-5, 6-6 anal-lot Figure- 3, and

Figure 8 is a view of the devicefor controlling 9Claims. 01. 291-23) grammatic representation of the sand depositing means and the electrical circuits employed for connecting the controlling means with the sand depositing means.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary view. similar to a portion of Figure '7 but wherein certain portions have been removed to more clearly reveal the construction.

Referring now to the drawings, the improved mechanism'herein contemplated is so designed that the main mechanism thereof is adapted to be mounted in the vehicle within the rear end trunk or similar compartment. As shown in Figure 1, asand hopper is represented at l0, a sand impeller or ejector at H, and a sand discharge or delivery pipe at H. The delivery pipe I2 serves to carry the sand upwardly from the impeller ii and to deposit it in the path of travel of the rear wheels of the vehicle.

As' indicated in Figure 2, a pair of sand depositing devicesare employed, one in connection with'each of the two rear wheels. It will, of

course, be understood that if preferred a single hopper could be employed and also that a single ejector could alsq be employed, in which case the impeller should beof suiilcient capacity to forcibly deliver sand into a pair-of conduits suitably shaped to conduct and deliver thesand to the proper place in front of the driving wheels. As shown in Figure 3, the hopper I0 is equipped with arr-outlet l3 which connects with an ejector I4. The passage of sand or other material from the hopper to the ejector I4 is controlled bya sliding valve plate 45, The valve plate I5 is mounted on the outside face l6 of the receiving end of the ejector and between a pair of side guides l-l- I! which may be formed integral with the receiving end of the ejector, or as shown in Figure 6, with a cover plate I8. The cover plate I8 is provided with an opening l9, the opening being preferably of the shape of atrapezoid with its longest side located near the adjacent end of the sliding plate i5 when-in closed position, as shown in Figure 3.

Ithas been found that the said shape of the opening I9 is advantageous in connection with a valve 'used for controlling the flow of sand in that it facilitates the displacement of any particle of sand which would tend to lodge be-,

tween the end of the valve plate and the side edges and wide end of the discharge opening I8, I also prefer to employ the relatively long but narrow form of opening for the reason-that the extent of movement required for the valve plate is small enough to be readily obtained by electromagnetic means which I prefer to employ for operating the valve.

The conduit I3 is equipped at its end with a flange 20 and suitable fastenings such as screws as indicated in Figures 6 and '7 may be passed through said flange for attaching the end of the conduit I3 to the ejector l4.

The valve plate l5 may be controlled mechanically or electrically in various ways but I prefer to employ a solenoid 2| which has its plunger-s 22 connected to the valve plate [8 through the agency of a pin 23 which is carried and extends upwardly from the valve plate. It will be apparent from an inspection of Figure 3 that when the solenoid 2| is energized, the plunger element 22 thereof will move upwardly or inwardly of the electro-magnet and thereby slide the valve plate l5 upwardly so as to cause the free end 24 of the valve plate to be moved upwardly to a position adjacent the uppermost edge'of the opening I9. To effect closing of the valves, a pair of springs 25-25 are connected between suitable fixed points such as indicated at 26 of the device and the ends of a cross arm 21 which is carried by the valve plate l5.

The solenoid 2| comprises a core 66 of magnetic metal, for example, soft iron, an'electric winding 61, and a plunger 22, also of suitable magnetic metal. The plunger 22 has its inner end portion 69 of tapered or frusto-conical shape as shown. The inner end portion of the core 66 is provided with a recess 16 of shape corresponding to the shape of the inner end of the plunger so that the latter may enter .into the core as is apparent from an inspection of Fig. 3.

The described solenoid construction provides a relatively long plunger throw but a short air gap through which the lines of magnet force must flow in acting on the plunger. For example,

the throw of the plunger is'indicated at H and the air gap at 68, the latter being but slightly more than one-half the former. The shortness of the air gap greatly increases the starting pull of the solenoid, and the recessing of the core and entering of the plunger .end thereinto, results in a cushioning of the movement of the plunger as it approaches its extreme, innnermost position, To prevent metallic contact between the plunger and core, so as to insure return movement of the plunger without excessive spring strength, a nonmagnetic insert button or pin I2 is provided in the bottom of the core recess 10.

,The relationship of the air gap length to the plunger throw, may, of course, be varied by varying the angle of the tapered plunger end and the presently be described for facilitatingcontrol of the circuit to the solenoid.

The ejector l4 comprises a substantially cylin-.

drical recess 28 formed in an extension 29 of the housing 36 of an electric motor. The electric motor 36 is, of course, selected of suitable power and current consumption characteristics and the elec-' tric motor mechanism itself is separated from the cylindrical chamber 28 by a wall 3| which may also be formed as an integral part of the The hub 34 carries a pair of oppositely disposed members'36 and 31, these members being U- shaped in form as best shown in Figure 6. They are each carried by a bracket element 38 which 'is flexibly or movably mounted on the hub element 34. In this instance the impeller member 36 is shown as being yieldably mounted on the hub through the agency of screws 39 and springs 40, the latter, yieldably supporting the bracket .38 of the impeller member 31, is shown as being flexibly or yieldably supported through the agency of a suitable rubber or other cushion 4i interposed between the bracket 38 and the adjacent face of the hub, screws 42 being employed to anchor the bracket to the hub. The heads of the screws 42 serve to determine the outermost position of the member 31 while the cushioned member 4| permits the bracket member 36 to be forced inwardly.

The yieldable mounting of the impeller members 36 and 31 as above described is a desirable feature in that it tends to prevent jamming and stopping of the rotation of the impeller by sand becoming wedged between the edges of the impeller elements 36 and 31 and the adjacent surface portions of the ejector member 28.

The ejector M is equipped with an outlet 43, also preferably formed integral with the motor housing and ejector housing as best shown in Figure 4. As shown in Figure 4, the outlet portion 43 is equipped with laterally extending ears 44-44 so located that their lower surfaces will engage or approach the top surface of the floor member 45 of the trunk or rear compartment anism of the automobile.

For conducting sand ejected or propelled by the ejector I 4 forwardly and depositing the sand on the road or pavement in front of the driving wheels, there is provided a shaped conduit or pipe 46. The conduit 46 must, of course, be shaped to fit the particular vehicle to which the device is applied. In the case of certain vehicles made by one of the present day large manufacturers of automobiles, it has been found that the conduit 46 may be curved in such a way that it may at least partially enter the adjacent side frame member such as 48, of the vehicle chassis approximately at the top of the humped portion of said side frame which extends over therear axle of the vehicle. The conduit may be positioned within the chassis side frame member as shown in Figure 5 for a considerable portion of its length so as to be protected by said side frame member from water and mud which may sometimes be splashed upwardly by the wheels of the vehicle. The conduit terminates in a downwardly exoperation of various automobile accessories have been more or less commonly mounted on the hicle at a suitable elevation from the pavement. As shown in Figures 1 and 3, in some vehicles the delivery conduit 46 would embody a partion which extends at an upwardly inclined angle or horizontally for such a length that the ejector may not in all cases be capable of throwing all of the sand far enough to insure its downward travel by gravity in the downwardly inclined position of the conduit. In order to avoid the accumulation within the initial portion of the conduit of sand-and consequent clogging of the conduit, the conduit in said horizontal or upwardly inclined portion may be provided with a multiplicity of openings 49 through which sand dropped to the floor of said conduit portion would escape and fall to the pavement. To prevent the entrance of water splashed upwardly by the vehicle into such apertured portion of the conduit, short tubes such as indicated at 50 may be provided for each of the openings 49, such tubes being effective to stop the travel of water before it reaches the interior of the conduit proper. To further guard against the wetting of the interior of the conduit 46 by splashed-up water, a baflle plate 50a may be provided substantially as indicated in Figures 3 and 5.

The receiving end of the conduit 46 may be secured in its operative position relative to the discharge or outlet portion 43 of the ejector by means of a suitable bracket or clamp member 5|, designed to underlie the conduit and provided with ears or end portions 52-52 for receiving the threaded ends of bolts or like fastenings 53-53 which extend through suitable openings in thev ears 44-44 of said ejector outlet portion. The -delivery end of the conduit 45 may be suitably supported by means of a bracket such as indicated at 54 secured to the running board or other conveniently located portion of the vehicle.

The operation of the device may be-controlled by a suitable switch or switches. Electrical switches and other controls for controlling the usual instrument board of the vehicle or on the Steering wheel thereof and also on the floor adjacent the clutch and brake pedals. It has 0 occurred to me, however; that as a general rule,

a device of the type herein contemplated would be actuated either before or after shifting gears. Therefore, in automobiles which are equipped with a gear shift lever, I prefer to mount the 55 switch for controlling the sand ejector on the gear shift lever adjacent the knob or other handle formation thereon so that when the operator of the vehicle grasps the gear shift lever he may conveniently manipulate the switch to actuate the ejector without removing his hand from the gear 0 shift lever.

' As shown in Figure 8, a switch unit comprises a housing 55 seated on the gear shift lever 56 f near the upper end thereof and clamped'in place 75 place his finger on the push-button 59 of the metal of the vehicle. of metal and is also grounded soit will be appar switch 58 to close the circuit to the operating elements of the described device without removing his hand from the gear shift lever. This is a very desirable convenience which will be readily apparent when it is considered'that the requirement for the discharge of sand on the pavement arises only when the pavement is slippery frequently in emergencies when the vehicle begins to skid. Under such circumstances it is desirable that the operator be free to maintain the operation of' the sand ejecting device while also shifting gears to cause the vehicle to travel at a changed, usually lower, speed.

Because the device described is substantially concealed from view, it is desirable to provide means for indicating to the operator of the vehicle the nearing exhaustion of his supply of sand in the hoppers III. For this purpose there is provided in each of the hoppers, an arm 60 pivoted at one end as indicated at 6| to the side wall of the hopper and provided adjacent its free end with a lightweight plate or board element 6| which will rest on top of the supply of sand in the hopper. The element 6| should be of light weight so that it will not tend to sink into the sand. The

arm 60 carries a projecting pin 52 which is adapted to contact with one of the walls 63 of the sand hopper I0 when the supply of sand therein is lowered sufficiently to permit such engagement. The pin 62 is of metal and is mounted in the arm 60 (or in the member 6|) so as to be insulated and it is connected by suitable flexible conductor to one terminal of a miniature lamp socket 64 which is mounted in the housing 55 on the gear shift lever. The other terminal of the electric socket 54 is connected as shown in the wiring diagram to one terminal of the electric current,

the other terminal of which is grounded in the The sand hopper I0 is made ent that when the contact pin 62 engages the wall 63 of the hopper, an electric circuit will be completed to energize a lamp 65 seated in the socket 64.

In the foregoing description reference has been made more particularly to one sand delivering unit; however it will be understood that, as shown in Figure 2, a separate unit for each of the rear wheels is considered preferable.

In the operation of the device, the impellers 36-31 are rotated in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 3 and they tend to draw the sand upwardly in the outlet portion 43 and most of the sand so discharged appears to travel through the receiving end of the conduit 46 above the openings 49 therein. No substantial amount of sand is discharged through the openings 49 and the latter are provided merely as a safety measure to avoid a near possibility of clogging of the horizontally extending portion of the conduit. By. this arrangement the elimination of a conduit ex-- tending-more or less diagonally across. the area of the wheels is permitted, and the positioning of a conduit in' the more or less protected walls as herein shown is facilitated without impairing operativeness of the device.

When the electric switch 58 is closed, both of the sand ejecting devices are simultaneously actuated and maintained in operation so long as the switch is maintained closed. As soon as the switch is permitted to open to break the circuit,

the ejection of sand terminates since the valve 1 plate l5 will be promptly closed by the action of 5 the-springs 25-25. 1

In the following claims reference to sand as the material used in the apparatus described is intended to include any other form for material,

for example, salt, which may be used in place of sand since it is obvious that the apparatus is not 5 restricted to the handling of sand only. Changes in the described construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which should be determined by reference to the following claims, the same being construed as broadly as possible consistent with the state of the art.

I claim:

1. In apparatus of the character described, means for propelling sand comprising a housing having a substantially cylindrical chamber, a

shaft entering said chamber, an impeller yieldably mounted on said shaft so as to be movable inwardly of the chamber, and means for rotating said shaft so as to cause said impeller to revolve in said chamber.

2. In apparatus of the class described, means for propelling sand or the like comprisinga member having a cylindrcal chamber therein, a shaft entering said chamber, a hub carried by said shaft, a pair of diametrically oppositely disposed impeller members respectively mounted on said hub so as to be movable inwardly and outwardly relative thereto, resilient means normally maintaining said impeller members in their outermost 80 position, and means for rotating said shaft so as to cause said impeller to revolve in said chamber, the latter having an outlet opening for permitting the escape of sand from said chamber incident to the operation of said impeller.

3. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of means for forcibly propelling a stream of sand or the like, a conduit for conducting the propelled sand and having a discharge opening for delivering the sand to a predetermined location, said conduit having a generally horizontally extending portion, and an opening in said horizontally extending portion for bypassing said discharge opening so as to permit the escape from said horizontal portion of sand dropped from said propelled stream.

4, In apparatus of the character described, the combination of means for forcibly propelling a stream of sand or the like, a conduit for conducting the propelled sand and having a discharge opening for delivering the sand to a predetermined location, said conduit having a generally horizontally -extending portion, an opening in said horizontally extending portion for by-passing said discharge opening so as to permit the escape from said horizontal portion of sand dropped from said propelled stream, and means for preventing the entrance of water intosaid horizontal conduit portion through said by-pass 60 opening.

5. In combination in traction path sanding apparatus for an automobile, a sand container lo-, cated rearwardly of the front of a wheel of the automobile, a chambered housing havinga rotary 65 impeller selectively operable therein, means for delivering sand to said housing from said container, and an outlet conduit extending a substantial distance forwardly in a generally horizontal direction and then downwardly to terminate in o proximity to the front of said wheel, said conduit being adapted to convey sand ejected from said housing by said impeller, said impeller being formed and arranged to impart sufiicient momentum to the sand to cause the latter to traverse 75 the horizontal portion of said conduit and to be forcibly delivered to the traction path of said wheel.

6. In combination in a traction path sanding apparatus for automotive vehicles, a housing having an annular chamber of substantial diameter 5 constructed and arranged to be mounted with the axis thereof substantially horizontal, means for supplying sand by gravity to said chamber, said means including an inlet conduit arranged to deliver sand to the lower annular wall portion of i0 said chamber an outlet conduit from said chamber located on" the opposite side of said chamber from said inlet, a'rotary impeller mounted in said chamber and having a plurality of sand en aging blades, means for rotating said impeller in one ll direction at a high speed to carry said blades successively past said inlet and across said lower wall portion to sweep the sand therefrom into said outlet conduit, said blades and the points of communication of said inlet and outlet conduits with 10 the chamber being spaced circumferentially a sufflcient distance and so arranged relative to each other as to permit substantial completion of the sand ejecting operation of one blade before a succeeding blade engages a new supply of sand ll delivered to said chamber by said inlet conduit, and means for directing the ejected sand into the traction path of a vehicle wheel.

'7. In combination in a sanding device of the class described, a sand receptacle having an out- 80 let, sand impelling means, means for delivering sand from said receptacle to said impelling means, a duct having one end connected to said impelling means and extending a substantial distance in a generally horizontal direction therefrom and then downwardly and provided with a discharge opening to deliver sand discharged by said impelling means into the traction path of a wheel of a vehicle on which the sanding device is adapted to be mounted, said 40 impelling device being normally operable to throw the sand through the length of said horizontally extending duct part, and said horizontally extending duct part being provided with an opening for by-passing said discharge openingto permit the escape of sand which may have been insufficiently impelled to travel entirely through said horizontally extending part, thereby to maintain said part in clear condition for the free passage of impelled sand.

8. In combination in a sanding device of the class described, a sand receptacle having an outlet, sand impelling means, means for delivering sand from said receptacle to said impelling mean-s, a duct having one end connected to said impelling means and extending a substantial distance in a generally horizontal direction therefrom and then downwardly and provided with a discharge opening to deliver sand discharged by said impelling means into the trac-jo tion path of a wheel of a vehicle on'which the sanding device is adapted to be mounted, said impelling device being normally operable to throw the sand through the length of said horizontally extending duct part, and said horizong5 tally extending duct part being provided with an opening for by-passing said discharge opening to permit the escape of sand which may have been insufliciently impelled to travel entirely through said horizontally extending part, and a tube communicating with said horizontally extending duct part through said by-pass opening and depending therefrom at an angle which is conducive to the gravitation of sand through said tube, said tube serving to prevent water ,1

splashed upwardly by the wheel of the vehicle from reaching the interior of said horizontally extending duct part, whereby the latter is maintained in clear condition for the free passage of impelled sand.

9. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of means for propelling, sand, a receptacle for containing a supply of said material, a conduit for conducting said material from said receptacle to .said propelling means, and

valve means for closing said conduit and comprising a slidable plate element, said conduit being of trapezoidal shape adjacent said slidable valve plate and the latter being movable transversely of the parallel sides of said trapezoidal shaped conduit portion and toward the longest side thereof for closing said conduit.

' CHARLES F. CHAPMAN. 

